Why did Mulayam become the sole contender for 19% Muslim vote in UP?

 Why did Mulayam become the sole contender for 19% Muslim vote in UP?

The Samajwadi Party, which Mulayam formed in 1992, became his favorite party for the Muslim community, who had to side with the rising drumbeat of Ram Mandir politics.

BJP's fast-growing Ram Mandir movement on its track. (Express Archive Photo)

Mulayam Singh Yadav was still in his first term as chief minister, and in his first year of government, when he directed his police on October 30 to open fire on kar sevaks gathered in Ayodhya and try to climb the disputed Babri Masjid. 1990.

The leader of the Janata Dal was one of the many stalwarts of the socialist world at that time. However, with that action, Mulayam established himself without a hitch, which quickly brought the BJP's Ram Mandir movement to a halt.

After the BJP withdrew support to the Janata Dal both at the Center and in UP, Mulayam's government fell. Exactly two years after the police firing incident, another group of kar sevaks climbed on Babri and dragged him down, as the BJP government stood in the state.

CM Mulayam acted on local intelligence inputs before deciding to open fire and was alerted by senior police officers on the intentions of the kar sevaks. Appealing to Muslims to maintain faith in the government, he said, "Masjid ko nuksan nahi poochenge (we will not allow damage to the mosque)."

Police action including lathi charge ensured that most of the kar sevaks dispersed. A handful of people broke the Babri domes, but they were torn down. There were different claims about the death toll, but the official number was around 30.

Encouraged by the BJP and its allies, he will forever be associated with the tag of 'Mulla Mulayam'.

However, for the Muslim community, who had to side with the rising drumbeat of Ram Mandir politics, the Samajwadi Party formed by Mulayam in 1992 became their favourite.

It was believed that the SP was seen as the sole contender for 19% of the Muslim vote in the state, helping Mulayam build a formidable Muslim-Yadav or 'M-Y' vote bank. The strength of Muslim support for him made him the leader sought by parties beyond UP after 1992.

Muslim support is believed to have propelled the SP to 109 seats in the 1993 elections, of which it contested 256 seats, helping Mulayam become CM for a second term with BSP support. Long before the term became commonplace, it was social engineering on the part of Mulayam and BSP founder Kanshi Ram to stop the BJP. His slogan was unapologetic about the strength of those forces, as well as what it meant: "Mile Mulayam, Kanshi Ram, Hawa Mein Ud Gaye Jai Shri Ram (Mulayam, Kanshi Ram is together now, where is Shri Ram)) "

Though the alliance ended in a bittersweet manner, with a violent guest house incident, both the parties emerged from the episode as the most powerful parties in UP.